Challenges of FrameNet: The case of motion verbs in Persian

Abstract

In this article, we intend to examine the transferability of parts of English FrameNet to other lan-guages, specifically Persian. To accomplish this task, we consider the concept of motion due to its sig-nificance in cross-linguistic studies and its different lexicalization patterns in typologically diverse lan-guages. In this regard, we investigate the challenges that different features of the Persian language and particularly the difference in the way of expressing motion events in this language make for the compat-ibility of English FrameNet with Persian FrameNet. Focusing on Persian motion verbs, we try to deter-mine the extent to which it is possible to transfer different components of English FrameNet — including semantic frames, coreness and peripherality status of frame elements, syntactic and semantic structures and frame-to-frame relations — to other languages. The results suggest that English FrameNet is prone to incompatibility due to the lack of systematicity in the specification of frames and frame-to-frame re-lations. Moreover, different polysemy patterns, the presence of the same word as different lexical units, various syntactic alternations of lexical units, different levels of importance of frame elements in lexi-calization in various languages, the tendency of some languages like Persian to form compounds as well as the impact of culture make challenges for the transferability of English FrameNet to other languages. © 2023, Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.